North Interstate 25 coalition members reach out to federal leaders

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
02/20/2014 10:36:36 PM MST

Members of the coalition of elected leaders along the north Interstate 25 corridor have started spreading the word among their federal representatives about the importance of including the corridor in the 2014 Federal Transportation Bill.

This week, members of the coalition -- which includes representatives from 14 communities from Thornton to Fort Collins -- met with U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., to express their concerns with the Colorado Department of Transportation's proposed improvement plan for the corridor.

Under that plan, a currently free lane of I-25 between Colorado 7 (the Brighton exit) to Colorado 66 (Lyons, Longmont and Platteville exit) would be converted to a toll lane in order to accumulate the revenue needed to make improvements to the highway by 2075.

As an alternative to expand the highway more quickly and efficiency, the North I-25 Coalition is advocating that the project be included in the Federal Transportation Bill, which is scheduled to be reauthorized by Congress this fall.

"I believe that we need to ensure that our full federal delegation understands what our needs are here, and this was a good first step," said Loveland City Council member Joan Shaffer, who represents the city on the coalition.

If the project is part of the reauthorization, it would then compete for funding with other projects across the nation. But coalition members have stressed that the first hurdle is simply getting the project included.

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"We just want to be able to compete for funds in this corridor," Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer, who serves as the chair of the coalition, stated in a press release. "Having this corridor in the authorization will put us in the position to do that."

Gardner told coalition members that he plans to initiate discussions in Washington, D.C. and asked for letters of support that he will be able to present to the chair of the transportation committee, according to Shaffer.

In a press release, Gardner noted the traffic population boom in North Colorado and the importance of ensuring "that Northern Colorado has the infrastructure to support our evolving economy."

"I encourage state and federal officials to realize that commonsense solutions for the interstate problems in Northern Colorado will benefit the entire state as Colorado continue to lead in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy development and technology," he stated.